Governor Maura Healey's approval rating as of this writing isn't terrible, it's in the high 50's, almost 60%. Healey was in the country's top ten back in the spring. Did you ever wonder which governor had the highest approval rating? For the sake of this post we'll go back 50 years or so.

Massachusetts is an historically progressive state. We were the first state to legalize gay marriage, we love high minimum wages, we elected Deval Patrick governor (one of the first three black governors in U.S. history).

Who was Massachusetts' most popular Governor?

Charlie Baker (Massachusetts governor from 2015-2023) at one point was the most popular governor in the country when his approval rating hit somewhere around 68%. His handling of the pandemic and economy and more attributed to that. Baker, however, was not the commonwealth's most popular governor.

Michael Dukakis

Governor Michael Dukakis was the governor of Massachusetts twice. His first tenure in office was 1975-1979 and then again from 1983-1991. He ran for U.S. president against George H.W. Bush and lost in 1988 and subsequently did not seek reelection for governor of Massachusetts in 1990.

His approval rating in 1988 was 79%

The Boston Globe revealed Dukakis's favor throughout his state has declined dramatically since the New Hampshire presidential primary merely a year ago, when his performance rating by voters was an overwhelming 79 percent. -upi.com

His high approval rating did not last after his failed election bid in 1988, however.

If Massachusetts is “ahead of the game” politically, DeLeo said, it’s partly in tribute to Dukakis, who built up a technology corridor along Route 128, protected offshore waters from oil exploration and made major investments in the MBTA, a lifelong passion. -wbur.org

List of former Massachusetts governors